Forever
by Mew Pearl
Summary: All Pearl wants is to beat the Pokemon League and maybe even fall in love! But along her journey she discovers that she is not normal at all, but may in fact be the key part of an old legend... Will she lose everything when she finds out her destiny?
1. Bittersweet Victory

**A/N: I don't own Pokemon, the Pokemon characters Ash, Gary, Misty, Brock, Team Rocket, etc, or the world in which they live. I AM the creator of Pearl, Gary Jr, and some other random characters that will appear, however. :D **

**READING AND REVIEWING GETS YOU COOKIES! If you're lucky and/or I like you. ;D**

Pearl Recue ran out of the Sunyshore gym with a wide smile on her face. Her light brown eyes, green in certain lights, looked around impatiently. Where was he? He was supposed to be waiting for her. She crossed her arms, encased up to the elbows with red gloves, and sighed. Did Gary really think that it would take her so long to beat Volkner that he went to get something to eat?

A pair of cool hands covered her eyes. Pearl's heart jumped in her chest and she let out a squeal. She twirled away to see Gary Oak (Junior, named after his father Gary Senior) grinning impishly at her. His hair glinted red in the afternoon sun and his green eyes were fixed on her face.

"Did I scare you?" he asked, grinning when he saw her face turn pink. "I did, didn't I?"

Pearl scowled at him as her heartbeat began to slow down. "No. I like screaming for fun. It's…good for releasing my emotions."

"Oh." Gary nodded, pretending to agree.

"Anyways, where were you?" Pearl poked him in his chest. He was wearing the dark green turtleneck that she had given him for Christmas. She would never tell him how happy she was whenever she saw him wearing it.

"I was helping an Aipom that was stuck in a tree."

"Oh," Pearl said. "That was nice of—"

Gary snorted and turned his face away from her. Pearl stared at him blankly before she realized: _Aipom was a monkey pokemon; it would never be stuck in a tree._

"I hate you, Gary!" she stated hotly. "Why can't you ever be honest? You always do this kind of thing." She blinked back tears that had suddenly formed in her eyes.

Gary was immediately at her side. "Hey, what's the matter? I'm sorry." His placed his hands on her shoulders. "Did you lose against Volkner?"

"Why do you care?" Pearl refused to look at him. She had been so excited when Gary had beaten Volkner, but he had run off before _her _match was even over.

Gary released her shoulders and said softly,"Hey, I got something for you. I bet you'll like it."

Pearl stared at him suspiciously. He looked honest enough, but who knew what he was planning? He could have a Caterpie or some other weird pokemon hidden in his clothes. She looked him up and down slowly; it didn't look as if he were hiding something to scare her with.

"Really, you'll like it." He gave her an encouraging smile, showing his cute pointed upper canine teeth. She couldn't resist a smile like that, could she? It would be cruel if she continued treating him coldly.

Pearl sighed. "All right, I forgive you for being so stupid."

Gary stroked his chin. "You don't seem very excited. Maybe I should give it to someone else…"

"Gary," Pearl laughed, grabbing at his pockets. He dodged her easily, seeming to dance on his feet. "C'mon, let me see. Please?"

"Fine, since you said please without me asking you to. Now, close your eyes," he instructed. She hesitated but obeyed. Gary wouldn't be dumb enough to pull another stunt; she would never forgive him if he did.

She felt his steamy breath on her face and for a crazy moment thought they he was going to kiss her. At the thought, she felt her cheeks flame up. She prayed that he wouldn't notice. A thin cold strand of metal went around her neck and Gary fiddled with it before stepping back.

"Congratulations on your victory!"

Pearl opened her eyes and looked down. A delicate gold necklace was what met her gaze; moreover, a beautiful rosy cream coloured pearl was attached to it.

"Do you like it?" Gary asked as he watched her toy with the pearl with her fingers. She looked up slowly and nodded. Gary's eyes widened when he saw tears in her eyes again.

"Was I wrong? Did you _lose_ against Volkner?"

Pearl threw herself at him without responding and Gary opened his arms just in time to receive her.

"Geez, what's the matter?" He patted her back, wondering why women were so emotional. He grinned inwardly at the thought; Pearl would kill him if she knew what he was thinking.

Pearl blinked up at him with watery eyes, letting out a loud sniff. "Did you get this for me when I was battling?"

"Well, yeah. I knew you would win, so I thought that it would be nice to get you something," he explained, patting her blonde head. "And your name is Pearl and all," he continued to ramble.

"You're the best friend a girl could have." Pearl laughed when she saw the doubtful expression on his handsome face. "I'm serious." She realized that she was still hanging on to him and let go abruptly. She didn't want him to get the wrong idea.

He gave her a thumbs up. "Congrats again, Pearl. You can go to the Pokemon League now!"

"Yeah!" she cheered. "You're coming too, don't forget! We spent all this time travelling together and beating the gyms. I'm not gonna leave you behind when I set off to the league!"

Gary shoved his hands into the pockets of his indigo jeans and nodded awkwardly. Pearl lowered her raised arms and stared at him.

"Gary?"

He shrugged; his mouth was set in a neutral line. "Don't hate me for this, okay?" he said pleadingly. "I…I'm not going to the Pokemon League with you."

In that instant, time froze for Pearl and she could only utter one word:

"_Why_?"

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	2. It Gets Worse

Gary gave her a half hearted smile. "So, you don't hate me?"

Pearl shook her head quickly. She could never hate him; even if she said the words (and she said them rather often), she doubted she would ever mean them. But still—Gary wasn't going with her to the Pokemon League?

"Why?" she repeated, her voice slightly wobbly. She cleared her throat and hoped he wouldn't notice. She didn't want to be a baby about it. She could go on an adventure by herself; she was a big girl, after all.

He ground the toe of his old black sneaker into the cement sidewalk.

"I have to help my dad out this summer. He wants me to follow in his footsteps as a Pokemon professor and all, so I'm gonna be helping him do research and stuff."

"Can't you change his mind?"

Gary raised his eyebrows. "You've met my dad, right?"

They both laughed at this. Gary Senior was one of the most stubborn people Pearl had ever met. Once he had made up his mind about something, even the apocalypse wouldn't change it. Gary Junior's mother, Eva, had wanted to call him David but her husband had adamantly insisted on his son taking his own name.

Goosebumps popped up on Pearl's arms when she thought about travelling without Gary, but she tried to ignore her fear. "You don't even _want _to be a Pokemon professor, though," she said, an edge of hysteria in her voice.

"How do you know that?" Gary crossed his arms and grinned. "Did you read my diary?"

"Of course not!" Pearl exclaimed as heat flooded her face. As an afterthought she added, "You have a diary?"

Gary leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Yeah, but don't tell anyone." He pulled away and winked at her.

Pearl's head spun. Every time he was near her face...

"A-anyway, I know that you want to be the champion of the league. You've been talking about that ever since we were little. So you have to come with me. Your dad would be evil not to let you go," she said.

Gary sighed. "Pearl..."

"C'mon, let me try." Pearl pumped her fist in the air with sudden determination. "I'll convince him using my wit and charm!"

"What charm?" Gary said innocently.

Pearl growled and Gary took off. Pearl ran after him, her long blonde hair flying behind her in the rush of motion. People and pokemon watched them go by; some faces showed nostalgia for the good old days of youth and young people in love, others wondered what was up with kids these days, while still others were full of envy since their glory days were gone. The pokemon merely watched with curious interest, contemplating whether they should start having fun and running as well.

Pearl finally caught up to Gary, who was leaning nonchalantly on the front wall of the Pokemon Research Center where his father worked (he worked in Sunyshore City, but lived in Veilstone; flying pokemon were very useful!). "What took you so long?"

"Shut up," Pearl panted as she staggered up to him. Her lungs felt as if they were burning and her muscles ached, but she felt great; almost as great as when she had beaten Volkner earlier that day, but not quite. Nothing could compare to the thrill of winning a battle!

"You really need to exercise more." Gary dodged her sluggish punch. "I'm kidding!" His eyes softened as they looked at her. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"Yeah." Pearl held her head high and walked into the Pokemon Research Center without another word. Gary followed her, eyes darting around apprehensively as if he were about to be attacked.

They walked into an elegant waiting room, decorated sparsely with flowers and some minimalist paintings of legendary Pokemon.

Gary tugged at her arm. "Look at that one!" He pointed to a black and white sketch of Mew that hung opposite the receptionist's desk.

"If you're trying to distract me, it's not going to work," Pearl said, shaking his hand off her arm. She flashed him a grim smile as she marched up to the receptionist.

The petite raven haired lady looked up and beamed at her. "Can I help you?"

"Could I see Professor Oak, please?"

The receptionist, whose name tag read Molly, turned up the wattage of her smile. "Oh, so you're a new pokemon trainer?"

"Uh—"

Molly typed a few words into her computer. "What's your name?"

Pearl was taken aback. "Um, Pearl Recue, but I—"

"Pick a colour: red, blue, or green."

"Uh...Blue?" Pearl shot a desperate glance at Gary, but he was reading a trainer's magazine. His shoulders were shaking with laughter from above his reading material.

"Great, you're all set." Molly handed her a pamphlet. "You'll be getting Piplup." Molly suddenly noticed Gary and waved at him. "Hey there, Gary! Here to see your dad?"

"Yes," Gary said in a strange voice, the magazine still covering his face. He put it down and practically skipped over to where Pearl was fuming silently. They followed Molly into the elevator and it stopped on the 10th floor.

"Professor Oak's office is right down this hall," Molly explained to Pearl. Pearl nodded along politely as Molly rambled on. She already knew all this; she had met Gary's father countless times already. Speaking of Gary, she was going to _kill_ him once they were alone.

The beige elevator doors finally closed on Molly and Pearl whipped her head around to look at Gary.

Gary raised his hands. "Whoa, you look scary."

Pearl gave him a syrupy smile. "Let's go see your dad now, okay?"

"You're not mad at me?" Gary asked, green eyes narrowed with suspicion.

Pearl giggled airily. "Why would I be? You didn't do anything, after all. It's not like you didn't _help _me, or something." The corner of her right eye twitched. Gary took a step back, and Pearl took one forward, until they were face to face.

Gary was about to beg for her to spare his life when Professor Oak popped his head out from one of the many doors in the gray carpet lined hallway.

"What's all the commotion?" he barked, frowning at them. His unhappy expression didn't change when he saw who it was. "Gary, what are you doing here?"

"Uh..." Gary smiled at him sheepishly and his father sighed.

"I don't think I'm going to like this. But come into my office, you two." Professor Oak said wearily and retreated back into the room he had appeared from.

They did as instructed and Pearl gulped nervously. She suddenly really wanted to be out of that room, but she couldn't back down now. They sat on the leather chairs near Professor Oak's desk. Professor Oak was standing with his back facing them, looking thoughtfully out the window.

"Did you know that something strange is going on?" they both jumped when he suddenly spoke up. He turned to look at them, with the same emerald eyes that his son had. "My assistants have been getting abnormal readings lately. It seems like the power of the pokemon in the Kanto region has increased recently."

"Why, dad?" Gary leaned forward with an intent look on his face. "Did Ho-oh return again? Or maybe Lugia?"

"Yeah, why?" Pearl echoed. She cursed herself for sounding so stupid. But she couldn't help it; whenever she was in a room with the two Garys, she felt as if she was inferior to them. They were both so smart while she was just...average.

Professor Oak slammed his hands down on his desk. "We don't know and it's driving me crazy." His eyes came to rest on the papers that Pearl was clutching in her hands. "Are those the new trainer forms? I already gave you a pokemon years ago. Are you trying to scam your way into getting another one?"

"No. Your receptionist made the wrong assumption," Pearl said, thrusting the papers at him. Professor Oak accepted them and tossed them onto his desk.

"Well, what are you here for then?" He was clearly unimpressed by her explanation. Pearl tried to stay calm. Professor Oak wasn't mean; he was just a little blunt. And with all the weird things that were happening...

Gary surreptitiously slid his hand into hers and Pearl jumped back into the present.

"I'm here to tell you that Gary _has_ to come to the Pokemon League," she said firmly, although her heart was racing with anxiety and something else. Something pleasant, but she refused to think like that. Their hands were still intertwined.

Professor Oak crossed his arms and glared at his son.

"Really? That's interesting. He certainly didn't seem to mind when I told him this would be his summer of training with me."

"He's too nice to go against what you want. Gary wants to go to the Pokemon League. It's always been his dream and—"

Professor Oak snorted. "You know what I think? I think that you have some silly crush on my son. You just spent months travelling with him. Now you want to travel with him _again_? How much attention do you need from him? He never spends time with his other friends..."

Pearl was shocked into silence and she sat there helplessly.

"Dad, "Gary spoke up softly, and his father paused to look at him. "Please don't say that about Pearl. She's my best friend and she's right. I do want to go to the Pokemon League."

Pearl looked at him out of the corner of her eye and he squeezed her hand encouragingly. Her heart thumped against her chest. Gary didn't seem to believe it, but she knew that what Professor Oak said had some truth to it.

Her hand slipped from his and she stood up. "I apologize, Mr. Oak. I had no right to try to change your mind. You are his father, after all."

Professor Oak appeared slightly embarrassed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Pearl, I—"

She forced her lips to curve into something that resembled a smile. "It's fine. Look, I really should head home." She laughed shortly. "I need to pack and all."

Gary stood up as well. She could feel him looking at her but she refused to meet his gaze.

"I'll walk with you. And then _I'll_ pack later tonight." Gary shot a firm look at his father, who stood there, lines creasing his forehead.

"No, it's okay. Your dad is right. You need to learn the skills of being a Pokemon Professor," she said lightly. "He told us about all that weird stuff that's happening in Kanto. I'm sure that'd be interesting research. Besides, there's always next year, right?"

Gary Senior and Junior both stared at her. She flashed a false smile at both of them, feeling herself crumbling into a million pieces. She tried to control her ragged breathing, hating herself for being so weak, for needing someone to take care of her. Gary should live his own life, not follow her around to save her from getting hurt.

"I'll see you guys when I return from my adventure, okay?"

She left them staring at her retreating back.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

**A/N: This chapter was much longer than the other one. O.o**

**I hoped you liked it enough to continue reading this story and maybe even review, eh? ;**

**Not that I need reviews to live...I'll continue writing this without them 'cause I love this story 3  
**


	3. Change

It started to rain the moment Pearl ran out of the Pokemon Research Center. Pearl normally despised wet weather, since it made her blonde hair weirdly frizzy, but in that instant she couldn't care less. She fumbled in her scarlet bag (chosen to match her elbow length gloves) and pulled out the pokeball she was looking for. Moments later she was perched on Pidgeot's back, soaring through the dull grey sky.

"Take me to Veilstone," she whispered, voice catching in her throat on the last word.

She buried her face in the chestnut feathers of the bird Pokemon, willing her tears to stop. All she wanted to do was go home and curl up on her bed. Maybe her father would make her his famous hot chocolate; that would make everything better. It always did.

Pearl's mind returned to Gary. Why had she done such a stupid, dramatic thing? A mature girl wouldn't bolt out of a situation that troubled her. A mature girl would face her problems. Pearl swiped furiously at her cheeks, which were slick with rain and salty sadness. It would have been better if she had never met Gary. Maybe then she would have learned how to rely on herself.

Pidgeot let out a warning cry before it gently swooped down towards the earth. Pearl hopped off her back and gave her a tight hug.

"Thank you," she said. "Return." The Pidgeot bobbed her head once gently, and disappeared in a beam of red light.

Pearl began walking and stared at her black boots; each step she took made a loud squishing sound as rubber and fabric made contact with muddy ground. She trudged down the trail and her house came into view. Her lips couldn't help curving up slightly at the sight of home.

She hurried through the drizzling rain, desperate to get somewhere dry. Her clothes were cold and drenched; she longed to get into something warm. She hopped up onto the white porch and was about to knock (forgetful girl that she was, she had left her keys on her dresser that morning) when the door swung open.

A middle aged man with sandy hair that was just starting to thin popped his head out. His hazel eyes narrowed behind his wire rimmed glasses.

"Who might you be, young lady?"

Pearl groaned. "_Dad_!"

Her father, Jonathan, chuckled and tried to embrace her. Pearl squirmed away and darted past him into the house. She kicked off her boots and grabbed a sweatshirt that was lying nearby. She used it to dry her hair furiously.

Her father closed the door and faced her. "Hey, what are you doing? That's my favourite shirt!"

"Oh." Pearl glanced down at it. It was indeed the white shirt with the Azelf on it that he loved to wear. "Sorry about—"

Jonathan wrapped her arms around her, muffling the rest of her response. "I'm so glad you're home, my little Cleffa! I missed you."

Pearl tried to resist but melted into the hug. "I was home just this morning, remember?"

"Yes, but before that? I seem to remember that my baby Cleffa was away for months, beating various Pokemon Gyms." Jonathon wrinkled his nose in mock disgust. "Fighting magical creatures is no pursuit for a young lady."

Pearl pulled away from him suddenly. "Dad, I got you soaked."

"That's all right. Say, aren't you going to say hello to Starry?"

Pearl looked around the cosily furnished room. Starry, her Eevee stuck to her like glue and had an uncanny sense for knowing when she would arrive back at home. Most of the time he followed along on her trips, but he had come down with a cold in the past few days and wasn't able to join her in going to Sunyshore to beat Volkner. He wasn't sitting by the door waiting for her as was the norm.

Her stomach began to churn. "Where is he? Is he all right?"

"He's fine." Her father smiled. "I think the little monster is sulking, in fact. He wanted to come along with you to get your final badge." Her father raised an eyebrow. "You did beat Voltorb, right?"

"It's Volkner," Pearl corrected him. She had begun shivering in her wet clothes, despite the heat that was circulating through the house.

Jonathan gave her a gentle push towards the stairs. "That's great! I want to hear all about it, but first you have to change."

Pearl nodded and ran up the stairs. After changing into dry clothes and getting her hair back to normal, she went into her room. Starry was lying on her bed, paws crossed, glaring at her.

"Hi, Starry," she cooed, inching towards him. The fluffy beige and cream pokemon let out a huff and hid his face in his tail. "Aw, don't be like that. You know I didn't want to leave you here. You were sick."

"Hwee," Starry chirped grouchily. He peeked at her from above his tail and Pearl gave him a winning smile. The Eevee couldn't take it any longer and flung himself at her. Pearl stroked his soft head and he purred, rubbing his face against her fingers.

"You're a sweet boy," she cooed, tickling the little pokemon beneath his chin. "I promise I'll never leave you alone again, unless the circumstances are unavoidable, okay?"

"So, you guys patch up your relationship?" Her father was standing in the doorway.

"Yeah." Pearl's newly cheerful mood vanished as quickly as it had come. She bit her lip and looked at Jonathan. "Dad, I know I'm supposed to be leaving again for the Pokemon League tomorrow..."

He covered his ears. "No, I can't hear you. You're not going anywhere!" His laughter stopped when he saw the solemn expression on her face. "Pearl, what's the matter?"

"I'm not going to the Pokemon League."

Jonathan stared at her, brow furrowed. "You certainly seemed excited about it before." He took a few long strides across the pink carpet and sat beside her on the bed. "What's happened?"

She played with Starry's ears to disguise the fact that her hands were shaking. "Nothing. I just think it'd be better for me to go next year."

"Does this have something to do with Gary?"

Pearl flinched and her father sighed. Starry gave her a concerned look and she gave the pokemon a watery smile. She felt her father's hand reach for hers but she shoved her hands underneath her thighs. Jonathan gave her a questioning glance, but she kept her eyes fixed on Starry. The last person to touch her hand had been Gary; she didn't want the feel of his fingers to be replaced with someone else's.

"If you and Gary had a fight, I'm sure you'd be friends before you left tomorrow," Jonathan said gently. "You two never stay mad at each other for long."

"We're not fighting," Peal replied stiffly. They weren't...were they? "I just don't want to go to the league this year."

There was a long silence, punctuated by her father sighing.

"Pearl—"

She got to her feet, gripping Starry tightly in her arms. "I don't want to hear it." She turned on him, brown eyes morphing from brown to green in her sudden rage. "I know you like Gary, okay? I know you want him to travel around with me and protect me and play cards with you. But he's not going with me to the Pokemon League tomorrow, okay? I'm not going either. End of this stupid discussion." Her chest heaved after she unleashed the torrent of words.

Jonathan suddenly looked ancient. He got up slowly and walked past her until he was in the doorway again.

"Okay." He gave her a tired smile. "You'll become champion next year." He shuffled off slowly, closing the door quietly behind her.

Pearl set Starry on the floor and flung herself onto her bed. She buried her face into the lilac scented pillows and let out a scream. Jonathan wasn't her biological father; he had adopted her when she was a baby he had found on his doorstep. He tried so hard to be a good parent, he was so kind and forgiving; meanwhile Pearl was a short tempered nuisance of a daughter. It was obvious that they weren't related. She rolled onto her back and stared up at the off white ceiling.

_If I had a mother_, she wondered, _would I be a better woman_? _Would I be the kind of daughter dad deserves_? _Would I be the girl that Gary is looking for_?

Thoughts raced through her head, one after the other, until she fell asleep. She woke up groggily some time later, hearing sharp taps echoing in the room.

Pearl sat up in bed, mouth dry. She heard the tapping sound again and she looked at the window. The noises were definitely coming from there. Her heart froze for an instant before beating again at twice its regular speed. There was only one person who would wake her in the middle of the night by tossing rocks at her window: Gary.

Starry let out an annoyed squeak in his sleep and shifted away from her as she stood up. Pearl hesitated; she wasn't sure if it would be wise to do this. But she found herself mechanically putting on her charcoal trench coat, sneaking down the stairs and going out the back door. She would do anything to see his face again.

She saw him leaning against the apple tree in her backyard. He was wearing dark blue jeans that hugged his legs just so, and his grey jacket was unzipped. He heard her footsteps crunch on the gravel and he whipped his head around to look at her.

"Hey." His voice was casual, as if they always held midnight meetings.

"Hi." She kept her voice equally as nonchalant as she walked toward him, stopping a few feet away. "What are you doing here?"

He gave her an awkward smile. "I wanted to say sorry about what happened today. I shouldn't have let you go to my dad."

"It's okay."

Everything was still; the air was chilly and heavy from all the rain. Pearl was freezing; her light cotton trench coat was meant for warmer temperatures, and although it was nearly summer, the weather sure didn't make it feel that way. Not to mention the coldness that has forced its way between the two of them.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" he asked. His hands were shoved deep into his pockets.

She nodded and trailed along behind him, feeling too embarrassed to get any closer. This didn't feel right, not at all. She felt so far away from him. She wasn't paying attention to what her feet were doing so she walked right into Gary, who had stopped moving forward to wait for her.

She looked up and met his forest green eyes. She could feel the heat radiating from him and it warmed her. Pearl wanted to get close to him, but she was afraid.

She darted her eyes away and stepped back. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

"Pearl," he said. It nearly broke her to hear him sound like that; his voice was hollow. "We can't keep doing this."

"I know," she replied. The moon hung low and bright white in the clearing night sky and Pearl spoke to it; refusing to meet his gaze. "I think we should take a break from each other for a while."

"Okay."

Pearl's eyes flew to his face. "Okay?"

"If you don't want to see me anymore, I understand." Gary offered her a smile; his teeth sparkled in the light of the moon.

"No." Her heart pounded in her throat. "It wouldn't be for... _forever_, it would just be—"

"For a little bit?" Gary said, frustrated. "Pearl, it would be even harder to become friends again if we took a "break", as you call it." He stepped towards her and held out his hand, pulling it away slowly when she crossed her arms. "Pearl, I'm coming with you to the Pokemon League." His tone was decisive.

She dropped to her knees onto the grass and buried her face into her hands. She began to sob noisily. Gary crouched beside her in alarm, and she pushed him away.

"Leave me alone, Gary!" she nearly shouted. "I don't understand why you're doing this. I don't need anyone to come with me to the league! I'll be fine on my own, okay? I'm independent!"

"I want to come with you."

She stared at him, vision blurred. "Gary, I'm not going to screw up the relationship between you and your dad. I'll go with you to the league next year."

"So you're not going to the league this year?" He narrowed his eyes at her. "How does that prove your independence, exactly?"

Pearl stared at him before laughing. "I guess you're right."

A Noctowl hooted somewhere nearby and they both twitched slightly.

Gary brushed his thumb against the tear streaks on her cheeks and her breath caught in her throat.

"You sure you want to do this alone?"

She closed her eyes, tingles shooting up her spine at his touch. "Yeah, I'm sure." She opened her eyes and grinned. "I'll totally love becoming Champion before you do!"

Gary responded by looping his arms around her waist. They were both kneeling on the grass, their knees brushing. Gary tilted his head to the side, as if considering something. Pearl's mouth felt full of cotton. What was he—?

"Get a room, kids!" a drunken man was leering at them, surrounded by his buddies. They laughed and shuffled off, mumbling about wine and Ponytas.

Gary stood up and his face veiled all emotion. "That was weird, huh?" v

She didn't know if he was referring to their moment or the drunks, but she nodded in agreement. They walked back to her house under the stars in silence; this time it was a comfortable one. Pearl smiled to herself. Tomorrow her adventure would begin. Gary wouldn't be by her side, but at least they were still friends.

His hand found its way into hers yet again and she glanced at him from the corner of her eye. His eyes were fixed straight ahead but she could see his cute pointy teeth in that special little grin he saved just for her.

Everything was going to be fine...right?


End file.
